Regards
by 13HoursInWonderland
Summary: Regarding the Goddess and the Hero
~Regarding the Goddess~

Though most people, if asked, could fathom a single word to describe their goddess, Link was not one of them. To him, she was so much more than just one meaning or another. Like the music often played on her divine instrument, she could not be summed up in short simple words. However, this fact did little to deter Link from trying to explain the deity in his thoughts.

In some ways the White Goddess was adventurous and curious, much like the songs heard sung around Farore's wood. Her Grace also represented all things regal yet gentle, and some even said it was the silvery waves of Lake Floria that first sang of this. But Hylia was also known to be powerful, like storms that channeled their oncoming fury through Lanayru Plains and Eldin Mountain. Most of all (at least to Link), the goddess cherished her peoples and lands much like humans cherished their favorite childhood lullabies.

All of this drew Link to the divine figure when she first appeared to humanity in their hour of need. She'd come down from the heavens (or wherever a goddess such as herself resided) not long after the demon tribe began to attack, visibly prepared to defend her world. The eyes of many men, including Link's, bore witness to Hylia's lyre, capable of leaving monsters distraught at the sound of its mystical strums and the fierce fiery birds that often accompanied her into battle. Yet, Link sometimes felt he was the only one who could see past the surface image of a determined goddess. He was witnessing a sad sort of devotion in Hylia's features, as if she were a mother proud to see her children ready to fight for their home, but also knew they would not be returning to her.

That somber look on the goddess' face, though it sounded feeble even in the privacy of his own head, caused Link to feel a sort of kinship to Hylia. It wasn't that he dared to imagine himself anything like a deity, it was just the sight of their shared home in such peril seemed to stir the same kind of protective need in Hylia as it did in him. That was what drove Link to pledge his weapon and well being in defense of their well-loved lands, even after the battles for dominance turned into a war for pure survival.

~Regarding the Hero~

Like a poetic knight, similar to the ones from tales' humans told their children to awe and frighten them, Link fought simply because he loved his home. That is why Hylia noticed him early on as different from the rest of his kind. When others saw reason to flee, she'd witnessed him fighting on. As battles melded into war he stood firm like a wolf, setting an example for the rest of his pack. With casualties on the rise and moral falling just as quickly, Link wore the same solemn expression every soldier fighting the horrors of war did, but he, unlike others, remained steadfast, managing to work onward.

With a strong soul, good intentions and a brave heart, soon Hylia wasn't the only one looking to Link. He was quickly becoming a hero among his allies and a painful nuisance to his enemies. Others were beginning to notice him and yet sooner or later, Hylia feared his resolve would become an issue of tension to someone less determined.

She knew humans like she knew herself. She had created them in her own image (to an extent) after all. If a soldier chose to openly mock what the rest of the world saw as good and hopeful, she really couldn't blame them, especially after all the hard battles and devastating losses. So, Hylia wasn't entirely surprised (though she was a little disappointed), when she heard a sharp tongue finally lash out at Link's kindness.

"Only the blind or naïve could survive hell on earth and imagine everything would, _somehow_ , go back to being the way it once was." A wounded soldier snapped after a skirmish with moblin forces had turned ugly. "Which are you?"

To Link's credit he turned away from harsh comment, choosing not to reply. From the somber look on his face Hylia predicted he knew as well as she that most men fresh from the battlefield didn't fully mean their ill words; the traumas born from combat and weariness simply made them irritable. That did not mean _she_ was about to let the insult stand unanswered, even if the hero seemed content to let it pass (he truly was a good man). In a moment, before Link had sufficient time to retreat from his bitter comrade Hylia was before them.

"He is neither." She came to his defense, "In fact, he is very courageous to wish for light in such dark times."

From that moment onwards, if you asked any soldier, Link was not just a hero, he was the goddess' hero.

~Regarding the Goddess~

If Links thoughts felt feeble before, after the goddess began to personally summon him they left him feeling downright flimsy. Close up, she was even more of an enigma, but still somehow exactly the same as himself. She loved all her lands (from the mountains to the oceans) like a devoted queen. While he also cherished Hylia's world, Link felt more like a refugee mourning the destruction they now endured. On the other hand, if he looked beyond the divine shell and admired Hylia as just a woman, he saw their shared passion for what it was. Ignoring their races, both Link and Hylia were warriors, comrades in arms pushing forward in the hope that order and peace would feel less like a fantasy and more like a future.

But Link tried not to see her as anything less than the goddess. If he did, he found himself pinning for her, even _smitten_ (though Link had never liked the word, there were few others he knew to describe his affections). Despite the constant fighting and dangerous distractions, his fondness for her was continuously growing into something more: a need, strong and urgent (Link did like the word used to describe this feeling, but he dared not use it. Not even in his own mind).

A part of him knew this attraction (at least partially) appeared to be born from a man in awe of his deity. In every way possible she was a goddess and he was an admiring human. Link valued her strength and ferocity like little boys valued legendary dragons. He recognized her elegance and beauty as if she came from a long line of untouchable royals. He admired her knowledge and sensibilities when others did not want to see reason. How could he not feel as though he'd been entranced?

However, another part of him, a bigger part, also knew that this was more than a mere man adoring the divine. Link did not see her as just a pretty figure to admire or an all-powerful hand meant to accomplish what mortals could not. She is not just an omnipotent being to seek answers from or an absolute solution to every persons' prayers. She is Hylia, not just Her Grace. And while she is the white goddess of wisdom, Link has also seen her as a woman that feels and falters.

~Regarding the Hero~

Link would often prove himself worthy of undertakings that others could not preform, so thus she started to call on him often. When he succeeded (and he always does in one way or another) Hylia couldn't help but be impressed. No man she has met before in the duration of her long existence has proven himself capable in all the things that she values (kindness, resolve, strength, courage). At first she admires him for it, but then, it grows to adoration.

As time passes, he becomes precious to her. When she sends Link on difficult tasks, despite knowing he is every bit capable of returning in one piece, Hylia worries. And after he has returned from her dangerous errands she continues to watch him, even though he has performed his duties well and a new need for the hero has yet to arise. As she begins to consider sending other, less skilled, souls on near-improbable assignments in his place, Hylia knows she is too far gone.

The realization is not completely alarming to her. In some part of her consciousness she knew _it_ was happening. Although she had never personally experienced the sensation before, Hylia had witnessed many a human succumb to their emotions and desires. In fact, she believes it has started to affect the hero as well. She sees it in the way he looks upon her, most unfitting of a man in awe of his goddess. He responds to her requests with more vigor than a soldier, no matter how ready he is to serve, should have. He understands her love for this world and what drives her to snuff out the demonic fires currently consuming it.

But there is a war on, Hylia frequently reminds herself when she is foolish enough to suppress the here and now (as even a goddess of wisdom can be victim to an occasional lovelorn thought). There are more important matters to attend to then what she, or he, is feeling. There are battles to fight, camps to organize, and refugees to care for.

One day, the demon tribe will be a bad era of history instead of a constant threat (Hylia _will_ make sure of that). Then, and only then, will she allow herself to pause and cherish Link's company. The only thing that truly pains her is the possibility that Link will not be alive when that time comes.


End file.
